Best trap for Bristle worms

Tennyson

Tennyson

Active member
I have maybe three large bristle worms (atleast 4-5 inches) and I don't like seeing them wiggling and crawling around my tank. So I would like to catch them, plus my friend wants to see one.

Any types of traps that I could buy or make that are most reliable? Anything I can buy from an lfs or online that has worked with others before?

I have tried luring it out with silversides and other smelly foods, I get them so far out but they never completely leave the hole.

All replies are appreciated. And thanks!
 
Are you saying that they won't work? I'm fine with that, it would just be nice to know if there was an easy way to catch big bristles. Since that won't work, is there anything I could make to trap them?

I was thinking I could lure them out a bit with silversides, than since it never comes out completely, I could stab it with a needle and hopefully pull it out. I glued a bunch of needles together to decrease my chances of missing. Hope it will work. The only thing is its bristles will probably hold it in the rock and yanking it out may be hard.

I'll try it, but I can't find them.
 
The fun way to catch them.

The fun way to catch them.

Patience and a pair of plastic tweezers with rough surface tips. You could scratch up the tips with a knife to make a better grip.

Put rock in empty tank. Put, "no feeding the worms sign on tank". Let them starve for a week. Then, with dim lighting such as from night light in next room, bait other side of tank, leave arms in water till all blood drains out and they really hurt and you wish you weren't really doing this. About the time your arms are too numb to move, they'll be out far enough to grab one. So, it regrows another head. Repeat till it starves from regeneration costs vs no food.

Of course if there were a trap that would take all the fun out of it.
 
That sounds like a good solution, but the rock they are living in are too big and my midas blenny and diamond watchman goby live in them so I can't do that. I think I'll try tweezers with a good grip, but I might miss. Maybe when its far out of the whole, I could get a board or something and squish it down so it can't retreat them get a grip and pull it out. All good ideas, but now I just can't find them anymore, they are probably full.
 
If you can get their heads, they have to regenerate, that costs them energy. Make sure you get the head out of the tank :)
 
Hmm, I have been searching for them both for two days but haven't seen any of them. I have been trying to lure them out with silversides which usually brings them out, but no, no signs of them.

Could they just be full and aren't coming out because they aren't hungry?

Thanks
 
I have finally found that worm. This thing is huge and extremely disturbing in my opinion. Its atleast 6 or seven inches. It has been moving through my rocks so its been hard tracking it down.

Anyway, I was going to try and stab its head and pull it out with a bunch of glued needles, but I chickened out, these things are too creepy for me, I had a hard time sleeping that night.

So I moved the rock since it moved to a smaller rock and put it in my two gallon shrimp breeding tank. So I'll try your method James.

but I don't want it to die (if you read my other thread, my friends and science teachers want to see it) so would it be OK in a two gal with no lights or circulation?

And I don't really understand what you were saying in the other post.
"bait other side of tank, leave arms in water till all blood drains out and they really hurt and you wish you weren't really doing this. About the time your arms are too numb to move, they'll be out far enough to grab one. So, it regrows another head. Repeat till it starves from regeneration costs vs no food.

Of course if there were a trap that would take all the fun out of it."

I just don't get it. Are you saying to lure it out than cut its head off or what? I think I'm too chicken to grab it or stab it so is there any way to make it leave the rock?

Thanks
 
I have found the worm, its been so hard to find because its been moving from rock to rock. But it moved to a smaller rock, so I decided to seperate it in my two gallon shrimp breeding tank.

The tank has no circulation, heater, lighting or anything. I don't want the worm to die (if you read my other thread, my friends and teachers want to see it) so I want to be able to catch it and keep such an ugly creature in a jar. But are these conditions safe for it?

James-you keep saying how if they need to regenerate their heads, that costs them energy, but how does this help with removal? And how could I make it leave the rock?
After a close look at it, I figured that I am too chicken to get near this worm by stabbing it in the head or with tweezers so I want it to somehow leave the rock, how can I do this?

Thanks
 
Tennyson till the blood drains out in your arms means till you feel like theirs no blood left for you've been waiting so long.
 
Thanks for the suggestion ReefSaint, but I don't think I should get one of these guys. I had one before and got it small, but in a month, it grew maybe 3 times larger, in 3 or 4 molts. It was ferocious and chased all my fish and small shrimp, and caught one of my peppermints. And it picked at my corals, so, its not really an option for me. Even though these are my fave crabs. And I had kept it well fed, maybe too well fed but it was never full.

And I think Coral Banded Shrimps eat them too, mine must be lazy or something.

Thanks though, I don't have any right now except two really small ones, I think the other two died.
 
I have a 5 gallon hex sitting on my desk. I was hand feeding some flower rock anemones and had the filter off. I left it off over the weekend. Dumb me. Anyway, I came in to find lots of dead gammarus shrimps. And....piles of bristle worms! Most have recovered. I had no idea they bred so quickly. These are the ones that are red in the front half and dark brownish on the back half. Largest was around 3". This tank was seeded with some small ones that were in a fist size live rock I put in. I feed the gammarus flakes several times per day to keep their population high for the anemones. (who made it through the tank fouling). I have lots of macro in there so that must have helped. I lost my two emeralds. Tank has been up and running for 4 months. I would guess around a hundred bristtles were on top of the sand and rocks, maybe more. I need one of those arrow head crabs unless he will pick on the anemones.

So, if they survived a fouled tank over the weekend with an evidently huge bioload, they should be good in a jar. They must really clean up the food and breed like crazy. I have them in a 12 gallon mixed lps, soft coral tank and I have watched them closely to see if they nibble at the lps's. I haven't noticed any damage in a year of observation. These all look the same so am assuming I have the same species in the tank and not several species of bristles. As long as they were small they were ok. Now that I have seen them larger I am with you, scary critters with all those bristles. I am going to sift the sand to get the larger ones out.

Free bristle worms anyone?
 
i heard you can wrap a piece of meat in pantyhose with a string attached after the lights go off and the worm will get stuck on the pantyhose when it trys to feed might be worth a try
 
I used a PVC tube with cap on one end (drill holes) and wrapped a piece of prawn in a stocking or filter wool and place near rock where suspect worm is...and in 2-3 days to take this out to check.....
 
I would love to go back in time and do something useful with all of thsoe hours i wasted at one time chasing bristleworms in my reef.

Save it. Do something constructive with your time...and just name them if they get over a foot or two.
 
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